ambassador to libya, chris stevens. he placed the blame on the state department for not making stronger requests for help. >> we didn't know how long this would last when we became aware of the distress. nor did we completely understand what we had in front of us. we had a kidnapping, rescue, recovery, protracted hostile engagement or any or all of the above. >> this newly released e-mail suggests that the white house blamed the attack on a video to take away from criticism of the president's policies. this previously secret white housey mail lists the top goals for susan rice as she prepared for a now infamous round of interviews just days after the attack saying she should, quote, underscore these protests are rooted in an internet video and not a broader failure of policy and that's what she said. >> when taken in reaction to this very offensive video. >> reporter: the white house insisted for 18 months that rice's talking points came from the intelligence community but this e-mail was written by a top political aide